


Divided

by Alomomola



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-23 12:18:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11402277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alomomola/pseuds/Alomomola
Summary: Ten years ago, Lugia rose from the sea and led a rebellion against the humans of Johto. Those who managed to survive have fled to Kanto. A giant, impenetrable barrier has been set up between Johto and Kanto, blocking all humans from their own land.Now, Johto has become a wild land, taken over by nature and by Pokemon. Lugia is the leader of the region, ruling Johto along with a council of representatives for the various sections of the land. Though the goal of Lugia's rebellion was peace for Pokemon, many of the Pokemon of Johto do not take well to Lugia's reign. Throughout the past decade, unrest has been building up in Johto. A movement known as the sympathizers has formed, believing that Lugia's reign is wrong and that humans should be allowed in Johto.The story has six main characters: Raikou and Celebi, both of whom are fellow representatives; Dragonair, a prominent member of the sympathizers; Sneasel, a thief who works for the Sympathizers; Aipom, a skilled Pokemon hired by Lugia; and Bellossom, a simple commoner.Through these characters, witness the unfolding unrest brewing in Johto, soon to erupt and take the region and our characters by storm.





	1. Chapter 1

An unrelenting wind was pelting Raikou’s face. Thunder boomed down, as if a god was warning him to turn back. Raikou didn’t so much as shiver. The only thing that scared him was the possibility of some spy: his eyes darted left and right, searching each individual bush for whatever furtive secrets it might be trying to hide.

He sniffed--something smelled odd. He realized it must be the ruins. Even through the torrential downpour and even after a decade of erosion and change, the ruins of New Bark still had the sulfuric smell, that smell that just wouldn’t disappear. Raikou had never been here before, at least not before the rebellion. But he could feel that there was a void, a void that had once been filled with something lighter.  Of course, Lugia insisted on new names--whatever they were--in order to shed the lingering remnants of the human tyrants, but it didn’t really matter to Raikou. 

All the others were hidden. Raikou had heard someone, maybe one of the council members, remark that as you ventured more and more eastward, and thus closer to the humans, the  residents were not as...friendly towards them. The leader,  _ of course _ , insisted that all Pokemon were on the same side. 

“Brother?” Through the storm, a questioning call interrupted his thoughts. It was a familiar voice. He saw the voice’s owner standing on top of a lone rock. Thunder crashed behind her. 

“Sister, is it you?” 

Raikou’s sister, Entei, crawled towards him. They rubbed their furry heads against each other in greeting. He thought he heard a sigh of relief, and then he saw a warm smile on her face. 

“It’s great to see you,” she remarked. They had met only a month ago, but time was often deceivingly, devastatingly long. “But why are you visiting?” 

Raikou ignored the question for the moment, “Where’s our brother?” he sighed. 

“Checking the ocean part of the wall.” 

“Is the rest well guarded?” 

“Yes, of course. That’s our duty, Raikou.” She seemed wounded that her brother would doubt her. "And it's out duty for a reason." 

Then, he heard the familiar sound of his brother dashing gracefully across the water. As he jumped onto the ground, he landed with the grace of a Swanna, his beautiful white streamers like wings. 

“Greetings, Raikou,” he said formally. 

“Hello, brother.” 

“What brings you here?” 

_ Quick to the point _ , Raikou thought.  _ It doesn’t surprise me.  _

“I bear some fortunate news this time around,” he started. His sister grinned. “They’ve elected a representative” 

“Really?!” Entei asked. “Who is it?”

“Her name is Espeon. We've run a check, and, fortunately, she appears to have loyalties to us, and not to…” He hesitated. “No loyalties to others.” 

“You mean she’s not a sympathizer,” Suicune said with a scowl. 

“...Yes, brother, you’re right,” he answered, trying to ignore the clear spite.

“I’m sure she’ll be a fine leader,” Entei added as an attempt to stir some optimism into the conversation. “The common people do need a voice in the council. Else we’ll be in anarchy as we were almost ten years ago.” 

_ It’s not always so visible…  _

Raikou cleared his throat, “Yes, it is good.”

Suicune spoke up and asked, “What is the status with the sympathizer movement?” 

Raikou’s eyes darted.  _ Too many eyes and ears.  _ “I don’t think I’m at liberty to say, brother. I must go, the council needs me.”

“Raikou,” Entei said. “We have news this time around, though it’s nowhere near as fortunate.” She looked at Suicune, whose face was solemn with closed eyes. Raikou looked towards Entei. 

“You must…” Her eyes were very worried. She spoke again. “You must stay quiet about this. Can you promise me that?”

He nodded.

“Good, good.” She too scanned the area. In a hushed tone, she said, “We crossed the wall. Yes, yes, I know it is forbidden… But we found out key information. We were only curious, and we believe this will help us…”

Raikou realized his brother’s face was not solemn, but ashamed. Suicune was one of the most loyal Pokemon towards Lugia, no doubt this felt like the worst betrayal to his leader. 

Entei continued. “The humans… They’re attempting to cross the wall.” 

Raikou thought this was hardly of concern. “We’ve made it impossible for any human to penetrate the wall. It’s a barrier. Why is this--” 

Entei interrupted, saying, “Yes, yes, I know that. But they have some secret weapon. I don’t know what, but they know they can’t cross, they tried that years ago. Something must have inspired them, and I’m afraid it’s a formidable something. Raikou--”

“We will investigate this, sister. But I promise you, we are safe. Our leaders have made sure of that.” 

Entei lowered her eyes and nodded. She walked away and soon disappeared into green foliage, while Suicune ran across the ocean, and each returned to their duties. Raikou burst into a sprint, feeling the rain sting his skin, the wind pelt against him, the thunder roar and the lightning scream. He thought about his words, and how little truth they really did hold. 

For now, not everyone needed to know the truth. 


	2. Chapter 2

****Celebi was quite drowsy as they droned on and on, each representative or their vice representative piping up to add something else to the lethargic conversation. She had to remind herself why she still remained on the council. The meeting hadn’t even officially began.

“May I remind us why we are here?” she asked, interrupting someone, perhaps Raikou--he would understand out of all of them. “We have matters to discuss, yes, and they are important, but perhaps we should meet the newly elected representative of the Goldenrod region.”

“Celebi,” boomed Lugia’s thundering voice. “It is not the Goldenrod region. We don’t use the human terms anymore.” He said _human_ hostilely. “It’s simply midlands. No fantastic term with their language’s so called beauty.”

It was common knowledge that, outside of Lugia’s close circle, nobody bothered adopting the leader’s new terms for the lands. That fact, though, seemed to be quietly hushed away in the council meetings.

“Yes, yes,” she muttered. “Midlands or Goldenrod, may she at least enter the room?”

“I agree with her,” Raikou said. He had just returned from the wall to tell his siblings of the news. “Gastly, open the door.”

The creeping ghost, a creepy servant of Lugia’s of unknown origins, let Espeon in. The council room--or as Celebi called it, the council realm--was...strange. She was certain that at one point Lugia or Ho-oh, in his rare appearances, had explained it. It wasn’t a room, it wasn’t an area. It was some...well, realm, almost a separate dimension. It was for the sake of privacy and safety; that way no treacherous spies could peep in on the meetings.

Espeon entered. _The rumors are true_ , Celebi thought. Espeon was a mysterious leader, yet almost all the common Pokemon had voted for her. Something about her sent a cold hand up Celebi’s spine. She wondered if, like the rumors said, Espeon could really read thoughts.

“Welcome, representative Espeon, to the council,” said Ninetales, the vice representative of Ho-oh, and who had been Ho-oh’s voice for however many years it had been since he had last appeared. Ninetales scared Celebi and the other council members, and she was certain he held some sort of nefarious psychic powers. “We are glad to have you with us.”

“The honor is mine.” She bowed on her front right leg, “I am pleased to lead our society with you all.”

“First matter of business. I hope you were told to pick a vice representative?” She nodded. “And?”

“I’ve chosen someone who I believe has the qualities to lead a peaceful society. Togetic.”

“Very well,” Ninetales said solemnly as he closed his eyes and turned his head towards the rest of the council. “Onto other matters, then.”

Lugia shifted his giant wings, causing a breeze to flow through the realm. “I have one matter to address…” he moaned. “On the matters of the archaic human terms…”

“What are you referring to?” Espeon asked.

“Terms they used for their own towns and cities… Goldenrod, Olivine, Blackthorn… The day we banished the humans, we banished their language as well. When we eradicated their towns into dust and ruins, we eradicated their names. Why should we use the words of our oppressors?” His voice had risen to a loud shout by the end, striking a tint of fear into Celebi--and others, she suspected. Lugia’s vice representative, Kingdra, was nodding along as always.”

“We’ve known that, sir,” said Raikou. “But what are you suggesting?”

“Enforce the rule more strictly. We simply use west, east, north, south, and the midlands.”

“How will we enforce it, then?”

“We will simply punish any Pokemon that uses those archaic terms.”

Small gasps echoed through the chamber.

“Surely, that’s too extreme,” remarked Celebi. “Old habits don’t die fast, Lugia. For some, it is just a slip of the tongue.” For some, maybe. And for some, it was laziness. And for others, it was the safest, most achievable form of rebellion.

“May I remind you, Representative Celebi,” said Kingdra stiffly. “that it has nearly been a decade since our leader liberated us from the humans. I think that’s enough time to wash out any old habits.”

The representatives and their vice representatives broke into an argument, while Celebi simply sighed and sat back amongst the shouting. A loud, clear voice broke the cacophony.

“Please, everyone,” rang the voice. The realm became eerily silent. “Thank you.”

Espeon looked at Lugia boldly. “Pardon me, leader, but I must say this. If you insist on making this a society without any sign of humans, well, you have more work to do.”

“Excuse me?” Lugia asked sharply.

“Why, look here,” she continued as if she was deaf. “Our current system and society is based off what the humans had. Vice representatives, representatives--these are not fresh ideas, sir. You would have to build up the society once more, after almost a decade of labor, to free ourselves from the humans.”

“How _dare_ you, Representative Espeon,” Kingdra yelled with a sting in his voice. “If we were to let this region go the way we went before humans, it would be anarchy. Chaos. Pokemon would devour each other. We would be no better than those humans are. To mock the way our leader Lugia has liberated us, saved us, it is bold and disrespectful. Watch your tongue.”

“Vice representative Kingdra, I meant no disrespect when I said that. What I simply meant was, we can’t rid the land of humans when it was built by humans. Embrace the parts of their culture which they left behind instead of trying to waste labor on building a new one. And besides, there are, surely, far more important matters to attend to than meaningless names. What will the common Pokemon of Johto think if they see their beloved leader Lugia dawdle on such a trivial thing while they are suffering and unattended to?”

Kingdra began to spew another aggressive remark towards the new representative, but his own beloved leader cut him off, saying, “Representative Espeon… I will take your remark into consideration. Onto more matters, then.”

The droning continued. Celebi sometimes wondered whether she regretted joining the council. Of course, who would have taken her place? Certainly not a common Pokemon, not under the control of Lugia. He had hesitated against allowing them to elect one representative, certainly not another would’ve been allowed. And that left Suicune and Entei. Entei’s heart was too soft to rule anything; frankly, Celebi was surprised that she was able to guard the wall so well. Suicune...oh, no. Celebi dreaded the thought of Suicune being on the council. Yet another blindly loyal follower of Lugia, surely not needed. She knew at heart that she was needed here; and on a side note, she was also thankful that, out of that trio of siblings, Raikou was the one who had power. He was level-headed and didn’t blindly follow the words of anyone.

Soon enough, after prattle over actually important matters, the droning ended, and the council was over. Celebi watched the figures of the council members fade away, and then Celebi was back in the physical world, on a lone stump in Illex Forest. Her forest. It was small, but quaint, and untouched by the war. For during her beginning days in the rebellion--memories she loathed looking back at--the plan was for Ho-oh to burn down Azalea Town. Celebi herself was the one to speak up; she was afraid that her own homeland, the forest, would burn down in the attack as well, and with it the numerous Pokemon that inhabited it as well. And now she had to herself the forest and Azalea Town, which was now empty, for all its residents had fled by sea to Kanto.

“Celebi? Is that you?”

A voice had rung from the bushes, dark and murky underneath the thick canopy of the forest. A figure stepped into the small spot of sunlight--Celebi recognized it as Raikou.

“Raikou?” she said. “What are you doing in this part of Johto? Why aren’t you in the east?”

“I’ve always been a bit of a wanderer. I never could stick in one place--seems common with my siblings as well.”

“Why’d you come here?”

“Talking with you is always pleasant, Celebi,” he remarked as he paced forward. “And after that council, I think a talk is required.”

They both laughed. “What do you think of Espeon?” he asked.

“I don’t like her,” she stated simply. She knew she could trust Raikou with most things on her mind. “She’s very...mysterious. Yes, we made sure none of them are...against us, but I don’t trust her.”

“I agree,” he said to her relief. “And the feud between her and Lugia’s vice representative…”

“I think the strangest part is that Lugia _agreed_ with her. His temper is a tempest. I was surprised that he was...well, not even near enraged.”

“Yes, yes. Things have been strange in Johto recently, haven’t they.”

She nodded. She clicked her tongue and hesitated to say something. “I… I hate to say it, I really do, but I really do think Ho-oh would have been a much more fit ruler.”

“Rulers ought to appear if they want to rule,” he retorted. “And I think that is what the sympathizer movement wants as well.”

She smiled weakly, and then said, “Regardless of that, Raikou, surely we can both agree that Lugia’s rule has so many faults? We can’t rid of everything that was tainted by humans--that I agree with Espeon. We can’t separate our own society, us against sympathizers.”

Raikou chortled. “Oh, Celebi, you may be right. But you did sound like a sympathizer just then… Besides, though, no leader, Pokemon or human, is flawless. Lugia, though, gave us what we wanted: freedom.” He sighed, staring up at the sky through holes in the forest’s canopy. “Anyway, I must go back. My siblings cannot watch the entire wall by themselves. Goodbye, Celebi.”

She waved back weakly, disheartened by his comment. Celebi flew into a hollowed trunk. There, she sat, she stared, and she wondered: how much longer could this charade be kept up?

She flew off, looking back to make sure Raikou had left, and that no one else was watching her. Her task had to be done with the utmost secrecy (what didn't she have to do with secrecy, though?); and above everything else, it must be done away from the eyes of the council.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret meeting, and a look into someone's past.

Dragonair dashed through the rushing waters of the Blackthorn River. It was always a dangerous place, but both Pokemon and humans had worked around it. Only certain Pokemon, those best at swimming, dared to even inhabit the area. Humans, with the cooperation of multiple Machoke and Machamp, had built a sturdy bridge to navigate the land above the river. Blackthorn River was situated in a steep valley, hundreds of feet below sea level. The valley was so steep, it only took one unaware step to fall in. Once the waters caught you, you were gone. The river would sweep you away, down to the ocean; that is, of course, if you survive the wild Pokemon. Underneath the volatile surface of the river were raging Gyarados and Seaking ready to take you.

Now, there were no humans to be swept away, obviously. And more mysteriously, the Pokemon had become timid and afraid. Dragonair knew why, of course. Lugia. But the reasons went unspoken. Forgotten. No one ever spoke up.

She leaped above the surface, and for a second her wet scales glistened in the bright sun. Her black beady eyes looked up. Even the Pokemon on the land were hidden. She wondered, then, why they remained silent. Most of them didn’t support Lugia and his side, but they did not oppose him either. None of them were  _ human sympathizers _ , like Lugia had dubbed them.

Soon enough she was near Blackthorn City--rather, the ruins of Blackthorn. Her heart throbbed in pain as memories flooded her veins. She usually avoided this area… In fact, it was risky being this near to the wall, with the possibility of one of the wall guardians spotting her. But she had her purposes, and she wouldn’t abandon them. It was for her. 

She slithered out of the river and ascended a small green slope. The rest of Blackthorn River went into the mountain ranges, peaking at Mount Silver, but that was not Dragonair’s destination. When she came to the crest of the slope, she saw a familiar yet changed sight: the ruins of Blackthorn. Ancient visions flashed in her mind: the sight of Blackthorn being annihilated by the waters of its wild, primitive river; the destruction done by the hands of none other than Lugia, under the guise of liberation from humans. Maybe it was his true reasoning, but it was a cause Dragonair didn’t believe in then or now. 

She knew where to go. She checked behind her, wondering if there were any followers; it seemed there were none, so she pressed on. She came to a building marred beyond recognition, but Dragonair knew its name nonetheless; it was--it had been--the Blackthorn City Gym. The humans’ worst act, Lugia claimed, forcing Pokemon to duel. Dragonair had thought--still thought--otherwise.. The door, as well as the sign adorning the facade of the building, had been destroyed, allowing entry to any wanderer. Dragonair entered cautiously.

Once the building had been called the toughest Gym of any in Johto--it rivaled most of those in Kanto. Lugia had it dismantled--not by him, but by his most loyal servant and henchman, Kingdra. The gym was so notoriously tough and dangerous for its atrocious lava. The heat in the building wore any new, unseasoned trainer down. Of course, there were safety precautions to make sure no fatal harm fell upon anyone. But the lava had been extinguished now. The gym was now a metallic valley of bridges and endless abysses that some say reached down to the dragon’s den beneath it. 

Slowly, Dragonair crossed the many bridges. It was a long point to the actual battlefield itself; it was designed to tire the trainers before the battle had begun. Dragonair was used to travelling through this path and was hardly affected. Soon she arrived at the battlefield, which was rather plain and dry compared to the intense journey that the gym once was. She had to travel back this far, for she couldn’t risk being spotted at the front of the gym; it was best to be shrouded in the murkiness. 

And she waited. With each minute that passed by, a strange feeling built up inside her. Not fear, not anxiety...anticipation? Yet still, she wanted to flee, slither back into the daylight no matter what it cost her. But she wouldn’t allow herself to cry, Clair wouldn’t cry, no she would not… 

“Dragonair? Are you there?” a voice said, piercing through the dark and Dragonair’s thoughts. She was silent for a moment, almost paralyzed. It was hard to see anything so far back in the building… The figure came close enough for her adjusted eyes to see: Ledian. 

“Oh, thank goodness…” she muttered to her. “I--I was distracted for a moment. You frightened me.” 

“Oh, really? I’m sorry.” Ledian fluttered in the air lazily. “Can you light it up in here? I don’t want the others to fall down while coming in here.” 

Dragonair lifted her head. She knew the building’s design by heart; darkness did not blind her. The others weren’t as lucky. She spewed small embers, lighting unseen torches on the wall. Soon enough the dim light revealed the path from the entrance to the battlefield, so the others could make their way. There were no windows, so no other light poured into the building; that was why they had chosen it, for the secrecy. No stranger could make it past the bridges and gaps safely unless they were very fortunate. 

They heard the soft footprints of a small Pokemon. A grumpy, pink face emerged, looking like a floating head before its body became visible as well. 

“Oh, Snubbull, you made it,” remarked Ledian gladly. 

“I’m all well, yes, yes,” he muttered, always a wisecracker. “It appears I’m not horribly late this time. I hope they put that down in the records. Snubbull, fearless Pokemon he is, defeats his greatest opponent: a bridge.” 

Ledian giggled, but Dragonair remained stonefaced. She wasn’t known for being particularly humorous, although that didn’t mean she was grumpy or rude. She just  _ hated  _ being in here. Below, below was fine; but here, above the surface, there were only haunting memories. 

“Is anyone else coming?” Ledian asked. 

“It’s only the most important ones that are needed here,” Dragonair said, thinking it sounded pompous as she said it. 

“Oh, I’m flattered,” Snubbull said. “I would never have such success with Lugia and such. Much too small and even more so ugly to rise up to the ranks. I hope we don’t become like them, though.” 

“Well, we cannot always bring everyone together. With the risks of spies and such.”

“I’m even more flattered that you trust me so much.” 

“So,” Ledian began. “we are only waiting for--?”

“Sh!” hushed Dragonair. “Someone might hear you, Ledian!” 

“I thought we had no spies,” remarked Snubbull. “Unless one of you two ladies has something to tell--” 

“Hello?” a fourth voice called out. The voice was pretty, serene, beautiful. The other three instantly recognized it. 

“Come here,” Ledian called back. 

A small yellow head emerged with huge blue eyes. She looked frightened for a moment, but when she saw them her fears went away. She floated over on her small pixie wings to the center. 

“I’m glad you’re here, Celebi,” greeted Dragonair. 

Celebi smiled, confidence now coloring her face. “Thank you, Dragonair. We’re all here, then?” The others nodded. 

“So? What news do you have this time from the council?” asked Snubbull. 

She lowered her head. The others leaned in closely as she whispered, “Most of it was the same old, boring droning on and on… But what was interesting was the newly elected leader.” 

“Oh? Who?” inquired Ledian. 

“Espeon.” 

“Don’t know much about her,” Snubbull replied. “What’s so interesting about that one?”

“She is quite mysterious. An unknown entity. Lugia did check to see if there were any connections to the sympathizer movement; there were none among any of the candidates, but I suspect if they were the candidate would have been persuaded to withdraw ever so swiftly…” Celebi sighed. “Unfortunately, Lugia has already taken a liking to her.” 

“Really?!” Ledian gasped. “That’s odd.”

“It is odd, and that was what was so interesting…” She stared off for a moment. “Lugia was complaining about how we need to stop using the old city names--Goldenrod, Blackthorn, Olivine. But Espeon remarked that the systems that we pretend are ours are actually archaic themselves, and that they’re simply the humans’. I agree with her, not that I said that aloud. But Lugia agreed.” She chuckled, and then said, “Oh, Kingdra lashed out at Espeon, he was so shocked when his leader agreed.” 

_ The traitor…  _ Dragonair thought. She hated thinking about him. She wished the conversation would move on. 

“He’ll punish himself for defying the beliefs of his darling leader,” joked Snubbull, who chuckled at himself. 

“Can we trust this Espeon?” Dragonair said, speaking up. Her voice echoed through the gym’s endless chambers. 

“She’s a council member, of course we can’t, Dragonair,” Snubbull responded. 

“We trust Celebi.” 

“Oh, but Celebi has...redeemed herself. If she had anything that needed redemption.” 

“I trust Raikou,” said the aforementioned Celebi. 

“Ah, but you don’t confide in him, I hope?” replied Snubbull. 

“No. Of course not, Snubbull.” Dragonair saw a look in her eye, but she didn’t know what it meant. “He’s not as bad as the rest of them. He doesn’t think so highly of Lugia.” 

“Who does?” 

“Snubbull!” Ledian scolded. “Our voices echo here. Anyone wandering by could hear you!” 

“If one of Lugia’s is strolling through the ruins of a city burnt to the ashes to find sympathizers, they must think quite outside of the box.” 

“Oh, well, pardon me,” said a fifth voice. Snubbull jumped up, and Ledian cried out, but both Celebi and Dragonair stared calmly towards the light which poured through the ruined doorway. A skinny figure with skinnier arms that ended in white pointy claws stood there. For a moment they did not recognize it. 

“No hello’s?”

“Who is it?” Ledian called out meekly. 

“How don’t you recognize me!” the voice yelled back. Then, Dragonair recognized him, for he had swiftly navigated the bridges and already walked into the torchlight. Sneasel. A tough, swift, rogue criminal, who fortunately was on their side. Sneasel was a rough thief, trickster, whatever he went by, but he was a criminal. Dragonair did not love him like her companions did, but he had connections, whatever they were, and the services he provided were useful. At least, she had respect for him. 

“How did you find us?” Ledian asked. “This was a private meeting. It wasn’t for everyone--” 

“Oh, Ledian, you want to exclude me? You’ve wounded my heart now…” He made a melodramatically sad expression, fake sobbing. His face returned to his normal, jubilant self. “But really, do you expect to keep secrets from your own spy’s ears? Unless you think I’m not even  _ that  _ good; and that would actually hurt me.” 

“Why are you here?” she asked again. 

“You hardly show up at our regular meetings,” Snubbull said. 

“Well,” Sneasel said, grabbing Snubbull’s shoulder with his claw. “if I went to  _ all  _ of your meetings, I wouldn’t have any spare time to spy for you, would I?” He spread his other claw far, looking out into the darkness like it was the constellations. “For someone so witty, your logic seems to be lackluster… Oh, I’m digressing, aren’t I? Anyway, it can’t be a crime to attend these meetings, can it? I am a member of this clique of yours--resistance, or whatever--and if I am not, I think my assistance to you all warrants membership.” 

Silence, to him. Even if the other sympathizers tolerated him, there was still a foggy layer of mistrust. Caution was key. 

“Well,” Sneasel. “What were you all talking about? Don’t let me steal the spotlight.” 

“Some meaningless, annoying jabber,” she said bluntly. “And then they introduced the new representative--Espeon, her name is. 

“And what’s the lovely lady Espeon like?” Sneasel asked. 

Celebi shot a glance to him--disapproving, or maybe just caught off guard. “She’s good enough. I’m thankful that the common Pokemon have a voice. She did seem a little bold; already in her first few minutes as a representative, she told Lugia off, told him not to waste time on trivial stuff and actually help the Pokemon of Johto. I appreciate her just for that. Hopefully, the council can make some beneficial progress now…” 

Sneasel sighed. “Do your best, Celebi. But--” He glanced back, towards the doorway, and then turned back to them. “if that’s all we have to discuss, I’ll advise you all to leave soon, Suicune is coming over here, and he’s the nastiest of the bunch. He’ll be bouncing over the river soon enough.” 

“That’s all?” Snubbull asked. 

“You know how careful we have to be, Snubbull,” Ledian advised. “It’s unfortunate that our meetings have to be so brief, but that’s the cost of our secrecy. It’s either this, or…” Ledian gulped, not wanting to even think of the darker possibilities. “Let’s go.” 

The party dissipated; Ledian and Celebi flew back to Illex Forest, while Snubbull waddled and wandered, wherever he would go. Sneasel looked back at Dragonair. “You going?” he called back. 

Dragonair shook her head. “I… I have business here.” 

“Oh, don’t worry. I know…” He looked forward to the doorway. “Wherever you go, stay hidden. Your face is very recognizable, you know.” And with that, Sneasel dashed away to deal with his rogue activities.

In an instant, the torchlight faded away and Dragonair was surrounded by darkness. It was cold. It would only be colder, though. She felt no intruders wandering in the building. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Swiftly, she jumped down into the abyss. Other Pokemon thought it led into hard rocky ground and stalagmites, but wiser ones knew better. Dragonair knew that from this spot she would descend into the cold, stagnant water of the cave below. 

And she did. The water was frigid, horribly so, but Dragonair did not mind. She never had. A cold-blooded creature like her had grown accustomed to frigid waters once upon a time. She waded through the water, too tired from her journey through the river to swim properly. Thinking of the river had her thinking of Suicune; she hoped he too was foolish enough to think the abyss lead to a hard fall.

She passed lazing, lethargic Magikarp, looking dead-eyed at her, likely not even seeing her, truly. Before Blackthorn had been attacked, one would have seen the area filled with Dragonair like her, but Lugia was intent on eradicating those. Now, the Magikarp had multiplied. She looked below the surface of the water. Although it was clear, she saw nothing, but she knew deep down in the den’s waters there were fierce Gyarados hunting each other down. 

“Sister?” a small, meek voice called out. Dragonair knew it was Dratini. He was so small she could hardly see him, he was just a small blue dot on top of a rock. She swam faster and slithered up the rocky shore. Her brother came to her and rubbed his face against her with glee. 

“You’re here,” he greeted her. 

“Indeed.” 

“It’s been awhile,” he complained. “How long are you gonna stay?” 

“I’m sorry, Dratini, but I don’t intend on staying long.” 

Dratini frowned. Dragonair forced herself to look straight ahead. “Is she still here?” she asked. 

“She always is.” 

“Let us go, then.” 

The brother and sister pair slithered soundlessly forward. Water dripped down from stalactites, one hitting Dratini on his white round nose, causing him to giggle. His voice echoed loudly, making him sound bigger than he was, although he still had his childish innocence in his voice. 

Soon they came to a small cave within the den. Anyone unknowing who wandered into the dragon’s den would not know there was a cave, for it was deep in the den where the light did not reach. Dragonair knew she was there, for there were five stalagmites at the cave’s entrance that were by chance ordered in increasing height. She slided around them, as did her brother, and entered the cave. Just as she did above in the gym’s ruins, she spewed flames to light up the cave. 

Dratini awed at the sparkling quartz beauty of the cave. But Dragonair pressed on, and eventually her young brother followed. The cave went deeper, and there were dead ends and turns that required the wanderers to know the path. Dragonair knew it. She had to. She made sure Dratini was always behind her as she glided gracefully through the cave, and stopped every so often to light the next pair of torches. 

Finally, they reached another dead end, but it was the one they were hoping to reach. Cautiously, Dragonair looked back. She sensed nothing. Besides, what were Magikarp going to do? And everyone else did not dare to jump down into the den; the one known entrance had caved in during the attack, and it was too dark for someone to find them, unless they were very lucky. She lit the last pair of torches. 

A body lay on a raised rock plateau. It was a human, a woman. With long blue hair and blue clothes to match, she always made sure. She was wrapped up in a dark blue cape which had been detached from her, and had taken a long time and effort to wrap around her body. Dragonair stared solemnly. 

No one knew Clair was here. If they did, Dragonair was in more danger than she already was. Clair had died at the beginning of the rebellion, side by side with a fellow Gym Leader of hers, Jasmine. Jasmine’s hometown had been destroyed by the tidal wave that had started the rebellion, but she had been able to escape and decided to assist Clair. Clair had perished protecting her Pokemon: Dragonair, Gyarados, her other Dragonair which had been killed by Lugia. All but Kingdra… He had betrayed Clair effortlessly. No sooner than had Clair realized Lugia’s forces were at Blackthorn did Kingdra turn on her. It had been a premeditated betrayal, which hurt all the more. Kingdra had been prepared to wipe out Jasmine first, but Clair stood in front of her friend, her arms spread out, daring Kingdra to kill her. But Kingdra could not kill Clair. Dragonair remembered Lugia screaming in a raspy voice at his loyal servant to kill the filthy humans,  his voice booming so loud high above in the sky, but Kingdra couldn’t do it. Lugia had finally had enough. Using his own powers, he teleported into the gym. He summoned a vicious gale of wind that blew both Clair and Jasmine over the edge of her own platforms… 

Dragonair could never find Jasmine’s body. She assumed she had fallen into the water; either she would have drowned then, or the impact from the long fall killed her then. But--Arceus forgive her for being selfish--Jasmine hadn’t been her concern. She wanted to find Clair.

Clair had not fallen into the water. No, she had hit the hard, stony, rocky, cruel ground. The fall had killed her, instantly. Dragonair had not found her until after Lugia had left… that was when she had retreated into the dragon’s den, which was mostly undamaged. That was when she found her lifeless Clair. 

The elder of the dragon’s den, one of the few Dragonite there, and now slain, had petrified Clair’s body. It wouldn’t rot away; her skin, bones, hair, everything had remained intact. Her body was unchanged. And it looked like, from the outside, that Clair’s body had no harm done to it. But to Dragonair, there was hardly a way the damage dealt could be undone. 

She kept Clair’s body hidden far, far underground, where Lugia couldn’t find it. And she also hid her little brother, Dratini. She would fight against the real world, but she couldn’t allow him to face the horrible atrocities above ground. No one even knew about Dratini, and she hoped it would stay that way. 

She turned around and slowly crawled away, but Dratini cried out, worried, “You’re going already?” 

She turned back to him and sighed. “Dratini, you know I have business that I need to attend to. I’ve seen Clair, and I’ve seen you. Now I must go.” 

“I have to wait here so long, though!” he whined. “It’s so  _ boring. _ All there is is Magikarp, and they can’t talk! There are Zubat, but they’re too busy flying and screeching. And the Gyarados scare me!” 

“There’s a reason you must stay here, Dratini,” she said calmly, almost feeling like a mother. “It’s for your safety.” 

“Isn’t there anywhere safer?” 

“Perhaps, but I can’t risk taking you out of here now. The darkness hides you, and you know the nooks and crannies of this place well enough to hide in some niche if someone does come down here.” 

“Why can’t I go with you?” he asked. His eyes looked so innocent as they welled up. “I wanna be a sympathizer! Like you.” 

“If they got a hold of you…” Dragonair’s slim, blue body shivered. “They would hurt you. I’m wanted by them. It’s hard enough for me to evade them. I don’t need two separate bodies to keep track of. It’s for your best.” 

Dragonair wriggled away before he mustered another word out of his mouth. She felt pity for him, but it was necessary. He never knew what it was like out there. How it felt to be hunted, or to feel like you were being hunted. He didn’t have the skills to slide out of their grasps at the last moment. He didn’t know how it felt to be pumped with fear and adrenaline at once. 

Dragonair hoped he would live to see a day outside of the den, a day with sunlight, a day with no fear. But that day seemed impossible now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I've been working on this for awhile--lots and lots of chapters--without ever really thinking of publishing it. It was more of a personal side project. But I decided, eh, why not? I've worked a lot on it, might as well share it.
> 
> So, I'm open to any constructive criticism! Thank you!


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